Slicing-machine.



PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

F. 1). .PRETTYMANQ SLIGING MAGHINE. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 12,1907

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 'HBMEMHHMHHEIEIIEKEHIIHE TNESSES W T H mm D E m m F A TTOHNEYS No. 873,601. PATENTED. DEC. 10, 1907. P. D. PRETTYMAN. SLIOING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1907.

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WITNESSES INVENTOH 1W FINIUE D-PHETTYMAN A TTOHNE Y8,

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FINIOE DAILEY PRETTYMAN, OFRVATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

, SLICING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. -10, 1907.

Application filed June 12. 1907. $crial No. 378-498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FINIGE DAILEY PRETTY- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at W'atsonville, in the county of Santa Cruz and. State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Slicing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is designed to provide a machine for rapidly and symmetrically slicing apples and other similar fruits or vegetables into equal segments. The apples are to be cored and preferably peeled and are fed by hand on to a series of vertical guide posts,

like spools on a spindle, and are forced down by a follower between and through a series of radial cutting knives concentrically arranged about the guide posts.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, which I will now proceed to describe with reference to the drawing, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine partly in section. Fig. 2 a plan view. Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4 a cross section and Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are details of the cutter knives and their associated parts.

In the drawing, A represents a table or stand .on which are mounted four vertical standards B. In suitable hearings on the tops of these standards are journaled two crank shafts C in the middle loop or crank portion of which is sustained a tray D forming a follower frame as hereafter described.

The crank axles are provided at one end with bevel gears E which mesh with and derive motion from similar bevel gears E on a main longitudinal shaft F. This shaft is j ournaled in hearings in standards G at the side of the stand and, as shown, is provided with a crank handle H for turning it, but for work on a large scale will have a band pulley for operating the machine by power.

In the machine shown I have illustrated only one feed post I and one set of cutter knives J, but it will be understood that there will ordinarily be a plurality of these feed and slicing devices, of six or more, side by side, and spaced about eighteen inches apart,

in the stand with the feed posts I projecting up through the open bottom of the follower frame. This follower frame is a rectangular skeleton frame made of a length depending upon the number of cutters and having on its underside bearings embracing the crank loop of the crank shaft. For each feed post and cutter the follower frame D is provided with a slotted follower or push plate d Fig. 2. The slot in the middle of this plate is to allow it to move sidewise past and on'each side of its post I until said follower is immediately above the cutter knives as in Fig. 2. The function of this follower is to press the cored apples through the cutter below, and for this purpose, the cored apples 0c -are by hand placed upon the feed posts I as in Fig. 8 and allowed to dro down through the open bot tom of the fol ower frame to the top of the cutter as seen in dotted lines the feed post I passing through the hole through the apple formed by removing its core. The feed post thus holds the apple concentrically above the cutter and as the bevel gears rotate the follower frame is given a parallel motion by the rotation of the crank axles and in this motion the followers or push plates cl straddle the feed posts, when in elevated position and on the down stroke, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and each catching an apple below it, as hung upon the feed post, forces it through the subjacent cutter J which slices it into equal segments.

The cutter J is shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. This cutter consists of a cylindrical knife holder (1 whose upper portion is slitted at a with longitudinal slits corresponding to the number of knives used. These knives are shown at b as radial knives the inner ends of which are secured in slits in the central feed and guide post I Fig. 6. The outer ends of these radial knives are bent around outside of the cylindrical holder after passing through the slits a and are pinched and tightly clamped by a sectional clamp collar L which is bolted to the stand and which serves to hold the cutter station ary. The knives b are made double, i. 6. each blade extends diametrically across the knife holder and forms two radial knives, these diametrical blades being jointed to each other in the center where they cross. The inner parts of these blades are entered into longitudinal slits in the lower end of the guide post I and this slitted end is clamped together to cause the slits to pinch and hold the knives by a nut 6. This lower screw threaded end of post I is also screwed into the foot post f which is supported upon a transverse bar M fixed rigidly to the cylindrical knife holder at its lower edge. The upper edge of the cross bar is made sharp and the sides of the cylindrical knife holder are cut away on each side of the cross bar to give clearance to the segments of apples as they are forced through the cutter. When the follower, or push plate, forces an apple into the top of the knife holder said apple is sliced into as many sections as there are radial. knives, but the apple is not pushed entirely through by the follower until a second apple is fed. on to the feed post I and then the push plate, acting upon'this second apple, causes it to force the first one entirely through, completely severing it into the siX segments corresponding to the siX radial knives.

The top of the table or stand along the line of the cutter is made as an inclined chute, as seen in Fig. 4, with a discharge opening g at one side. The purpose of this is, that if any apple should break away from its central guide post I, under the crushing strain of the follower when pressing it into the cutter, the broken parts of the apple will fall upon the inclined top of the stand and be delivered over the low side of the same into a box or receptacle placed there to receive them.

This machine is designed to be run at a speed of 130 revolutions a minute and each cutter, and feed post I will be attended by a boy, or attendant, who places an apple upon the post onthe rise of the follower frame, while the push plates are out of vertical alinement with the cutters, so that the apple may drop directly down into the cutter.

When operating on a large scale, as in canning houses, an endless belt will be arranged to travel beneath the outlet ends of all of the cutters to take away the sliced product as fast as it is cut.

I claim 1. A slicing machine, comprising a main frame, a stationary knife holder with knives and a stationary upwardly projecting guide post, for the perforated fruit to be sliced, centrally mounted on the knife holder, a follower for forcing said fruit through the cut ter and means for giving said follower both an up and down and lateral movement.

2. A slicing machine, comprising a main frame, a knife holder with knives and a central upwardly projecting guide post, for the perforated fruit to be sliced, a follower frame with follower for forcing the fruit through the cutter, two crank aXles supporting the follower frame and means for rotating the crank axles.

3. A slicing machine, comprising a main frame, a knife holder with knives and a central upwardly projecting guide post for the fruit, a skeleton follower frame having a vertical and sidewise motion and a slotted push plate moving into vertical alinement with the cutter and straddling the post and means for imparting the vertical and sidewise motion to the follower frame.

4. A slicing machine, comprising a main frame, a knife holder with knives and means for holding the fruit to be sliced on the knife holder, and a horizontal follower and means for imparting a parallel motion to it to move it laterally over the knife holder and then down upon the same to force the fruit through it.

5. A slicing cutter, comprising a cylindrical knife holder, radial knives in the holder and a stationary guide post fixed to the center of the knives and extending above the holder.

6. A slicing cutter, comprising a cylindrical knife holder, radial knives in the holder, a central post having a longitudinal slitted end for receiving said knives and a screw threaded end and a clamping screw nut for compressing the slitted end of the post upon the knives.

7. A slicing cutter, comprising a cylindrical knife holder having a longitudinally slitted end, radial knives extending through said slits and having their ends bent around outside the holder and a clamp collar embracing the bent ends of the knives and the.

slitted holder.

8. A slicing cutter, comprising a cylindrical knife holder having a longitudinally slitted end, radial knives having their outer ends secured in said slits, an encompassing clamp collar, a central post securing the inner ends of the knives, a foot post arranged in alinement with the central post and sup porting the same and a cross bar connecting the foot post to the knife holder.

. FINICE DAILEY PRETTYMAN.

Witnesses:

O. A. GORHAM, L. M. GILBERT. 

